Life in the International Space Station

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Life in the International Space Station


We all have our routines. But ever thought what routine do astronauts follow while at ISS. Living and working at zero gravity is not easy. During their mission, astronauts face a completely different environment. Also, it is not easy to make our body work in zero gravity. Body movements are changed completely in order to work in zero gravity. While on Earth we are free to eat any food we like and want, but above at the ISS astronauts are not. Special diets and foods are prepared for them. A special bathroom is also created on the ISS. 

It costs NASA around $10,000 to supply a bottle of water to astronauts at ISS. Now with the use of the new Falcon 9 rocket, it costs $2,700 to supply a kilogram of food or other material to the ISS. So, astronauts must work with a limited supply of food and water. There are special arrangements made at the ISS for astronauts to brush, shave, wash their hair etc. 

(1) Eating in ISS:

Having your dinner in a laboratory that is 400 km above the land and moving at a speed of 7 km/s is another level experience. Astronauts are supplied with limited items of food in vacuum-sealed plastic. The quantity of food is packed enough according to their mission days. A knife and fork are provided to them to eat solid food and straws are given for liquids. The eating tray is attached to the platform with a magnet to prevent them from floating. A refrigerator, an oven and a water dispenser are also added to the ISS. 

Liquids such as coffee, orange juice, tea and lemonade are provided to them. High nutrient foods like fruits, chicken, beef etc are also there for astronauts. Raw food items like fruits, berries, candies and nuts are also provided. Astronauts also have additional supplements like chess, ketchup, peanut butter, mustard and mayonnaise with them. Salt and pepper are also available in liquid form because they cannot sprinkle salt or pepper on food in zero gravity. Also, these ingredients might get into their eyes, nose, ears etc if they are in solid form. 

 (2) Sleeping in ISS:

There are no beds in ISS. Also, you will be floating in zero gravity, so there is nothing like orientation or sleeping positions in the ISS. Astronauts sleep in sleeping bags attached to something so that they don't float while sleeping. These sleeping bags are located in small crew cabins. Each cabin is large enough to accommodate one astronaut. It's not easy to get a comfortable sleep when you are weightless. Motion sickness sometimes disturbs the sleeping cycles of the astronauts.  

ISS is moving at a speed of 7 km/s, which means the astronauts will witness 16 sunrise and sunset in a day. This might look exciting, but watching a sunrise every 90 minutes greatly disturb the sleeping time and pattern. The timezone used by astronauts in ISS is UTC. Their sleep is scheduled for 21:30. During their sleep time, the windows are covered to give an impression of darkness.

(3) Morning Routines at the ISS:

Astronauts usually wake up at 6:00. The ISS does not have a shower, instead, astronauts clean their body through water jets or pipes with soap dispensed from a toothpaste-like tube. They are given rinseless shampoo and edible toothpaste to save water. There are two space toilets on the ISS. The astronauts have to fasten themselves to the toilet seat. The toilets basically work as vacuum pump, which means instead of flush, airstreams are used. Purified air is used in order to control the odour. All the wastes are deposited in an aluminium container. The containers are replaced every few missions for disposal. A special urine funnel is also provided to each astronaut. The liquid waste is collected in a separate container.

Astronauts usually work 10 hours a day and 5 hours on Saturday. They are also given breaks for lunch and rest. Also, workload and weightlessness have many effects on an astronaut's body. So astronauts also had to exercise regularly to maintain their physical and mental fitness.


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